Grief: Losing a Child and Learning to Breathe Again

What happens when your world is shattered in an instant?

When Sally McQuillen lost her 21-year-old son Christopher in a tragic accident, her life split in two. In this conversation, she shares what it means to keep living with love and purpose while carrying unimaginable loss. Her story reminds us that grief and gratitude can sit side by side, and that choosing to keep your heart open is an act of profound courage.

Three things you’ll hear in this episode:

1. Why sobriety at 25 gave Sally the tools to face later grief with intention
2. How she has carried Christopher’s light forward while honoring her own healing
3. The ways grief reshaped her understanding of strength, vulnerability, and connection

Listen to this episode to hear Sally’s raw and beautiful reflections on love, loss, and the choice to keep going.

Guest Bio:

Sally McQuillen, LCSW, CADC, is a psychotherapist in private practice specializing in addiction recovery, grief, and trauma healing. An avid reader with a background in writing and dance criticism, she began her career in public relations and marketing before pursuing her master’s degree in social work. Sally is the author of Reaching for Beautiful, a memoir about love, loss, and carrying her son Christopher’s spirit forward. She and her husband live on the north shore of Chicago, where they raised their three children.

https://www.sallymcquillen.com/

For ad-free early access to episodes, bonus content, and ways to support the show, join the community at www.patreon.com/thelifeshiftpodcast.

Subscribe, rate, and share The Life Shift Podcast wherever you listen. Stay connected at www.thelifeshiftpodcast.com.

Mentioned in this episode:

Available Now: "still HERE: True Stories of the Moments That Changed Everything"

This episode is brought to you by *still HERE: True Stories of the Moments That Changed Everything* by Matt Gilhooly. Matt is the creator and host of The Life Shift Podcast. Over four years and more than 240 episodes, he has sat with strangers and asked them about the moments that changed everything. *still HERE* is what he found. Over 100 true stories. Eight sections. One listener making sense of what it all means for the rest of us. Available now in Kindle and paperback on Amazon. Find it here: https://www.amazon.com/Still-Here-Stories-Moments-Everything/dp/1639011854/ If you read it and it moves you, an honest review on Amazon helps more people find it.